There has to be something wrong with today’s TV when I find re-runs of “The Sweeney” and “The Champions” more entertaining.
Just changed an energy-saving light bulb
Just changed an energy-saving light bulb because it had blown. On the box it says it has a lifetime of 10 years. I don’t think that’s true.
Education before indoctrination
As an atheist, I like to engage in discussion about faith, religions, gods etc. In fact I like to talk about anything that exists at the furry edge of our current knowledge. You know, that grey area between what we know and what we don’t know. This area includes such things as ghosts, the afterlife, astrology, homoeopathy, UFOs and so on.
Recently I have started to find all this a little frustrating. Here’s why: Anyone coming from the standpoint of reason and evidence is prepared to change their mind on production of evidence that is contrary to their beliefs. However people from a faith-based position don’t do this. This is because their faith puts their beliefs beyond reason and evidence, so however illuminating the reasoning and compelling the evidence, their faith will not be shaken. I’ve heard it said that if a fact contradicts with what is written in the Bible then the fact will be disbelieved. When you are debating with someone who is prepared to disbelieve facts and reject evidence then what could possibly be achieved? Some time ago, the Turin Shroud was carbon dated and shown to be a fake. The response of the pope who was in office at the time was to say that although they now know the Turin Shroud is not Christ’s burial robe, they would still believe that it is.
I believe that this ridiculous state of affairs is brought about because people are indoctrinated with the religion of their parents choice when they are children. This occurs before they are educated, and at such a young age that their critical thinking and reasoning ability have not yet developed. As a consequence, their education and reasoning is built around the unassailable religious doctrines previously implanted. This would explain the two-mindedness that can be seen in some scientists and others who work with facts, evidence and reason all week at work and then flip their minds into “religious mode” on a Sunday for their faith-based worship. They are able to have two completely different and separate mind-sets.
I previously thought that Richard Dawkins was being rather extreme when he spoke of children being taught religion as a form of child abuse, but now I realise why he spoke in such strong terms. If children were to be educated without any form of religious teachings until they were an adult, then their naturally questioning and reasoning minds would develop without being distorted in any way. If the concept of religion and God was introduced once they had become adults it would be dismissed immediately as utter rubbish.
I feel that teaching religion to children who are too young to reason, make a judgement or think critically about what they are being taught are having their human rights violated, and this indoctrination is, indeed, a form of child abuse.
Teenagers
When you ask a teenager a question, why do they always respond by either repeating back the last part of your question to you or pretending they don’t understand the simplest of things? And why when you ask them to do something do they repeat it back as a question? For example:
Me: “Where are you going?”
Un-named Teenager: “Going?”
Me: “Yes, where are you going?”
Un-named Teenager: “What do you mean?”
Me: “Can you stay in please?”
Un-named Teenager: “Stay in?”
Me: “Yes, stay in?”
Un-named Teenager: “What do you mean?”
Me: “Grrr.”
This changes nothing…
Can somebody explain to me why Apple use the tagline: “This changes everything. Again.” when they introduce features that have been enjoyed by users of other mobile phones for many years? Video calling, for example has been and gone. It was introduced some years ago and never gained popularity for a variety of reasons. At a time when it is being dropped by nearly everyone else, Apple introduce it as an innovative new feature, but with the added disadvantage that it only works iPhone-to-iPhone. How crap is that?
Cheap
I found this at Never Get Out Of The Boat. I think I may use it as a basis for my whole lifestyle:
Cheap is the last refuge of the unimaginative, someone once said.
At the end of the day, there’s always some other oik who can work out how to be cheaper than you.
Cheap doesn’t mean value.
And if all you have to compete on is price, you’re as good as finished.
This nugget from Harrison Ford in this morning’s Metro reminded me.
‘When I came into [the movie] business I was under contract to a studio for $150 a week.
One thing I learned quickly is that the studios had no respect for a person who was willing to work for them for that amount.
I realised that the value I put on my own work was the value and respect I would get back’
Sales targets
I know this may be obvious but it is probably worth repeating. Never, ever exceed your sales targets. If you exceed your sales targets, you will get a pat on the head and your targets will be raised and therefore harder to reach in the future. You may reach them again the next month, but sooner or later they will become unobtainable. Your commission will suffer, and you will get harassed by your boss. Nasty. Try to achieve 90%-95% of your target. You will achieve very nearly maximum commission, your boss will be off your back and you will have a stable income for the foreseeable future. It’s not nice to be in a position where you exceed your targets for several months to then find yourself in a position where someone who is less able than you is receiving more commission because you can no longer reach your targets because they are way higher than some others.
Money, money, money
Now that I am on a lower income than I have been used to, I have decided that I need to keep a closer eye on my finances (maybe I should have done that anyway).
It’s only adding up and taking away, so why is “double-entry” bookkeeping doing my head in? Is it me or that fact that I am using free software? Maybe I should use a pen and piece of paper. I don’t think that I should need to have a degree in accountancy to make sure I don’t spend too much money on beer. I would appreciate any advice offered…
TV Without Pictures
Just been listening to the last “Wake Up To Wogan” on Radio 2. Kira, my 20 month year old daughter was showing interest but kept looking at the screen (we were listening on my laptop). Obviously she was wondering why there was no picture. BTW Terry almost seemed brought to tears as he said goodbye. Changing times. I can’ t remember a time when he was not on the radio in the morning. Not that I was an habitual listener. I used to dip in an out over the years. Gonna take some time to get used to him not being there. As Chris Evans said “A hard act to follow…”
